Social activities for people with
sight loss, in the Brighton and Hove Area

Argus Charity of the year 2008

Brighton Carnival 2009

FRUIT BAT FRENZY
SEQUINS DANCING AT BRIGHTON CARNIVAL

report from Jonathan

City Synergy made their
debut performance at Brighton Carnival on 12th July. Watched by an
estimated audience of 20,000, the intrepid troop of 10 Fruitbats were
dancing in the street. City Synergy members Ruby, Jackie, Paul, Chris and
Rosie were accompanied by sighted volunteers Keith, Kay, Christina, Mue and
myself. Leading the way was Sue carrying our banner and following up was
Rosie's brother, James, on a bike with a music system outrigger blasting out
our cheesy choice of cheesy music. Rosie's boyfriend Karl helped enormously
as steward and en-route event co-ordinator. Star of the show was Maya,
Christina's granddaughter, dressed as fruit and chased by the frenzied
fruitbats.

It was a fantastic day.
After a gloomy start, the sun shone and sparkled off over 50 yards of
sequins that adorned our costumes. Starting at Middle Street we danced
through town where the pavements were packed. Heading south down East
Street we felt the strong sea gusts lifting our wings for flight along the
seafront. Chris, in the big bat costume (with a 5m wingspan) suffered a
costume malfunction near the pier. At the cry "Bat Down", the bats swooped
into a well organised drill circling the stricken bat while emergency
repairs were effected.

It was a lot of work making
the costumes, but everyone helped. On the day every effort was repaid with
the excitement and fun of being among 800 performers lifting the spirits of
the Brighton residents and day trippers. We had fantastic support from the
Carnival organisers. Jessie, our liaison artist, helped our initial designs
take flight. Kate helped us with the choreography and stopped us getting
into a flap on the day. Sandrine and Ady provided boundless enthusiasm,
support and ideas. From the Carnival office, Suzi, Hannah, Rachel and
Natasha were enormous fun to work with.

City Synergy won a prize
for the best small group. A plaster oscar now has pride of place in the
City Synergy trophy cabinet. We have to pass him on to the winners next
year, but we will not give him up easily. Chris and I co-ordinated making
the costumes and turned our flat into a Carnival workshop. We now dream of
bigger costumes, bigger wings, more sequins and I can't pass Fabricland
along the Western Road without twitching. Huge credit is due to Valerie who
made both the flag that we carried on the procession and the enormous banner
that greeted up, billowing majestically in the breeze, when we arrived,
exhausted, at the end of the procession on Madeira Drive.

I could go on, and probably
will.

Thanks to everyone who took
part, helped, watched - everybody, really - including a couple of people
from my work who travelled down from London and took the pictures now
circulating on the office e-mail system.

Jonathan

Pictured above - Fruit bats creep
along Madeira Drive

Pictured aboveThrough the town, with Rosie
leading the way
and Kay shouting support

Pictured above
A shy Paul hides his head under his wing while Jonathan is proud to be a
bat. James, on his bike, checks the sound system. What's next? "Come fly
with me" or "Papa loves mumba"?

Pictured above
Chris dancing in the big bat costume.

(c)
Photos above courtesy of Brighton Carnival

Pictured left -

View from the top of
Madeira Drive. Who were those masked bats?

(c) Photo by Sara Bennington Flair
-used with permission

Pictured above -Our plaster trophy, the
award we received as best small band,
Carnival 2009